Variable-speed measuring drum for tobacco-feeds



Dec. 29, 1931. R. E. RUNDELL VARIABLE SPEED MEASURING DRUM FOR TOBACCO FEEDS Filed March 7. 1930 Patented Dec. 29, 1931 entree s'r res Parent OFFICE RUPERT E. RUNDELL, OF ROCKVI LLE CENTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY, COMPANY, ACOR-PORATIOLT OF NEW JERSEY VARIABLE-SPEED MEASURING DRUM FOR TOBACCO-FEEDS Application filed March 7,

This invention relates to tobacco feeds for continuous rod cigarette machines, its main object being to provide means for independs ently changing from time to time the speed of the tobacco feed measuringdrum, thereby controlling the amount of tobacco to be fed to the continuous running paper strip.

In manufacturing cigarettes by means of a continuous rod cigarette machine, it is required that the cigarette rod be at all times of thesame density so that all cigarettes be of equal weight; but experience has taught that, during the running of the machine, the tobacco density of the rod varies, due to changes .in the condition of the tobacco, caused by variation of temperature, humidity, grade and fineness of the tobacco, etc. Furthermore, when the tobacco mass runs low in the feed magazine, a smaller quantityof tobacco is picked up by the feed drum, which also results in a decrease of density. With the present invention these difliculties are overcome by providing means for making the speed of the filler or measuring drum inde- O pendently variable without stopping the machlne.

The speed adjustment in the present 1nvention is accomplished by driving the filler or measuring drum from the shaft of the main drum by a set of gear wheels variably connected through a pair of expansion pulleys and a V-shaped belt. The belt seat of each of these expansion pulleys is made up of a stationary and a movable conical flange, the two movable flanges being attached to the fork ends of a pivoted double lever which is operable by a hand wheel. By swinging the said lever about its fulcrum, the conical flange of one of the pulleys is moved away from its stationary member and that of the other pulley toward its stationary member, thereby causing the V-belt to change its seat on both pulleys, thus decreasing the belt-contact diameter of the first pulley and increasing that of the second pulley, thus quickly effecting, by this double action, a corresponding change in the speed of the measuring drum, which re ulates the amount of tobacco on the main feed drum, or pick-up drum.

With these and other objects not specifi- 1930. Serial in. 434,096.

cally mentioned'in view, the invention cons sts in certain constructions and combinations which will be fully described hereinafter and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a sectional side view of a tobacco feed for a cigarette machine, showing the application of the variable speed drive to its measuring drum;

Fig. 2 is a sectional end view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the variable speed drive unit; and

Fig. 4 is a side view of drive unit.

In carrying the invention into effect, there is provided a cigarette machine tobacco feed having a feed drum and a filler or measuring drum, and means for selectively driving said filler drum at different speeds without altering the speed of the other parts of the feed to vary the quantity of tobacco delivered by. the feed. In the best constructions contemplated, the filler drum driving means includes a belt and two expanding pulleys deriving their motion from a constant speed shaft of the feed and delivering it to the variable speed shaft of said filler drum. The above means may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular structure selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise structure shown and described.

The tobacco feed of the cigarette machine consists of a housing 10 containing the tobacco magazine and the various feed drums and belts, the said housing being mounted on a frame 11. The main drum 12, which picks the variable speed supported by studs and 21 mounted in oted to fork lever which, through stud 36,

is supported by bearing bracket 37' mounted on main frame 11. To fork lever .35 are pivoted rollers 88 engaging with an annular groove in sleeve 39 ofhandwheel40 mounted on .the: threaded stud 41 supported by main frame 11, Stud 41 carries the lock nut 42 which holdsthehandwheel 40in position after adjustment. To keep thebelt 28 in ten-. sion, a pulley 43 is pivoted'on lever 44, looselymounted on shaft 13 and connected to bracket, 37' bymeans of a spring45.

Infeeding the tobacco T to-the continuous running paper strip P, the'qu'antity oftobacco picked up by the main drum 12 is regulated by themeasuring drum 14 whichmoves in the opposite direction, throwingithe surplus tobacco back into the magazine. tobacco carried along by 14' is removed by the beater 46. Thetobacco carried by the main drum 12 is taken off by thepicker roller 47 a fan 48 placed beneath the picker roller 47 directingthe stream of. the 'tobacco onto the feed belt 49 whichlcar ries itto the pin roller 50 onto which itxis guided by the pressure roller 51. A second picker roller 52 takes the tobacco off the pin roller 50 and delivers it through a guide chute 53 onto the continuous runningpaper strip ing: drum 14 which removes more tobacco from the pick up drum and thuscauses the.

quantity fed to the paper strip 'P'tobe the smaller, the faster it revolves. Byturning the hand wheel 40, therefore the lever 35 will,- by its double action, vary the. effective diameter and speed of'the pulleys 24,- 26-and 25', 27: and quicklychangethe amount of the" tobacco fed to the paper strip, and the density of: the cigarette rod canthus be readily adjusted tovarying conditions of the tobacco.

What is claimed is: 1. The combination with chine feed having a measuring drum, of

the measuringdrum The. quantity of tobacco on thefeed belt .49,x for a given speed of. the main feed drum 12,. depends entirely on the speed of the measura cigarette ma-- chine feed having a measuring drum, ofi means operative while the feed isrunning for selectively driving'said drum at differ means for selectively driving said drum at dilferent speeds without altering the speed of the other parts of the feed to vary the quantity of tobacco delivered by the feed, said drum being continuously rotated by said means.

3. .The combination withaw cigarette machine feed having a measuring drum, of means for selectively driving said drum at differentspeeds without: altering the speed of the otherv parts of thefeed to vary the quantity of tobacco delivered by the feed, said-means-including a belt'and two expandingpulleys deriving their motion from a con stant' speed shaftofthe feed and delivering it to the variable speedshaft ofgsaid drum.

4. tobacco-feed comprising. a constant speed feed :drum for feedingtobacco, a measuring drum for removing surplus tobacco from thefeed drum, and variable speed d riving means for the measuring. drum operative while the measuring drum is running for selectively driving it at different speeds.

.5. A tobacco feed" comprising a constant speed feed drum :for feed ngrtobacco, a measuring. drum. for removing surplus tobacco from the feed drum, and variable speed driving means for the measuring drum, said driving means including expansion pulleys. con-- 'nected to thefeed drum and measuringdrum respectively, driving means connecting. said pulleys, .and means for expanding and closingcsaicl pulleys whereby to vary the speed of'said measuring. drum.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

- RUPERT E. RUNDELLL 

